After blowing a 10-point lead and losing 31-20 in Super Bowl LIV, many have directed blame at the leader of the 49ers’ offense, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Jimmy G arguably outplayed Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes for three quarters, before imploding in the final 15 minutes and posting an astonishing 2.8 passer rating in the fourth.
Entering Sunday’s game, Garoppolo had performed well when his team was in clutch situations. But in the biggest game of his life, he came up short when it mattered most.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
“I give him a C-minus,” ESPN NFL analyst Bart Scott said on “First Take.” “And I’m being generous because he was doing what he was supposed to do, not lose the game. I said here last week, he’s a guy that won’t lose it for you, but he’s a guy that won’t win it for you either.”
Scott didn’t stop there, explaining that the 49ers have won in spite of Garoppolo this season, instead of because of the signal-caller.
“You can’t hide your quarterback in the Super Bowl,” Scott said. “They’ve been hiding Jimmy G the entire year. When I said on this set last week and said he was Matt Schaub, that was a compliment. He’s not an accurate quarterback."
[RELATED: Why 49ers' 2019 season will be so difficult to replicate]
San Francisco 49ers
Schaub, like Garoppolo, was a longtime backup before getting his chance as a full-time starter with the Houston Texans. However, Schaub never had a season where he started the majority of games and had a better quarterback rating than Garoppolo’s 2019 mark (102.0).
Expect to see a whole lot more criticism of Jimmy G and the rest of the 49ers offense throughout the offseason, regardless of whether it might be justified.